Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEmergency CausesOther CausesWhen to See a ProviderDiagnosisPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Emergency Causes
Other Causes
When to See a Provider
Diagnosis
Prevention
Left arm pain can come on suddenly or be felt for a long time. Anytime someone has left arm pain and is experiencing other heart attack symptoms, they should call 911.The pain may also be from an injury or overuse.
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Heart and circulatory conditions like a heart attack,angina, or deep veinthrombosis(DVT) can cause dullleft arm pain. Below are the conditions and symptoms.
Heart Attack
Aheart attackis when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Without adequate blood flow to the heart muscle, the tissue does not receive enough oxygen and begins to die.
One of the symptoms of a heart attack is left arm pain. The pain can be felt up in the shoulder and down the arm. It can also be felt in the right arm as well. Othersymptoms of a heart attackinclude:
Angina
Anginais a heart condition in which a coronary artery becomes narrowed, making blood flow to the heart muscle difficult. With decreased blood flow, less oxygen gets to the heart muscle.This creates a series of symptoms, including left arm pain.
Other angina symptoms include:
The difference between angina and a heart attack is that a narrowed coronary artery causes angina, whereas a blockedcoronary arterycauses a heart attack.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Adeep vein thrombosis (DVT)is a blood clot that develops in a vein deep within the body.Most DVTs occur in the legs.
However, 4% to 10% of all DVTs are in the arms.When a DVT does form in the arms, it tends to be due to underlying health conditions like cancer. There is also an increased risk of DVTs in people who havecentral venous lines(CVLs).
A DVT in the arm can cause pain, warmth, tenderness, and swelling. It is an emergency because the blood clot can break away and travel to the lungs, causing apulmonary embolism (PE).
Emergency Treatment for Left Arm Pain
Other Causes of Dull, Flaring Left Arm Pain
Trauma and Injury
Several injuries that can cause arm pain. They include:
Osteoarthritis
If someone experiencesarthritisin the arm, the symptoms would include:
Pinched Nerve
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathyis a condition in which the nerves do not work correctly. If the nerves in the left arm are affected, then the symptoms will be felt there as well. Someone with peripheralneuropathyof the left arm might experience pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness.
An underlying health condition like diabetes can cause peripheral neuropathy, or sometimes, no cause is ever found.
It is still important to contact a healthcare provider if the arm pain is from an injury or a long-term condition like arthritis. Depending on the cause of the pain, it might be helpful to see one or more of the following providers:
Arm pain from other causes will be evaluated, and diagnostic tests will be determined based on the probable cause. Potential tests could include an X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MR), or computed tomography (CT) scan.
How to Minimize Future Pain
Arm paincannot always be avoided, but there are some ways to minimize future pain. For arm pain related to playing sports, try:
Summary
Left arm pain can be associated with heart conditions. If someone is experiencing left arm pain with chest pain, shortness of breath, or other heart attack symptoms, they should seek immediate help.
When arm pain is not from a heart condition, it may be due to an injury, arthritis, or pinched nerve. Always contact a healthcare provider when you experience new arm pain or pain that does not improve.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Heart attack.MedlinePlus.Angina.Heart Foundation.Angina.MedlinePlus.Deep vein thrombosis.Heil J, Miesbach W, Vogl T, Bechstein WO, Reinisch A.Deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremity.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):244-249. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0244National Institute of Health.Heart attack treatment.MedlinePlus.Sprains and strains.OrthoInfo.Elbow dislocation.MedlinePlus.Bruises.OrthoInfo.Fractures (broken bones).National Institute of Health.Osteoarthritis.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).MedlinePlus.Peripheral neuropathy.Heart Foundation.What is a heart attack?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Preventing sports injuries.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Heart attack.MedlinePlus.Angina.Heart Foundation.Angina.MedlinePlus.Deep vein thrombosis.Heil J, Miesbach W, Vogl T, Bechstein WO, Reinisch A.Deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremity.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):244-249. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0244National Institute of Health.Heart attack treatment.MedlinePlus.Sprains and strains.OrthoInfo.Elbow dislocation.MedlinePlus.Bruises.OrthoInfo.Fractures (broken bones).National Institute of Health.Osteoarthritis.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).MedlinePlus.Peripheral neuropathy.Heart Foundation.What is a heart attack?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Preventing sports injuries.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Heart attack.MedlinePlus.Angina.Heart Foundation.Angina.MedlinePlus.Deep vein thrombosis.Heil J, Miesbach W, Vogl T, Bechstein WO, Reinisch A.Deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremity.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):244-249. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0244National Institute of Health.Heart attack treatment.MedlinePlus.Sprains and strains.OrthoInfo.Elbow dislocation.MedlinePlus.Bruises.OrthoInfo.Fractures (broken bones).National Institute of Health.Osteoarthritis.OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).MedlinePlus.Peripheral neuropathy.Heart Foundation.What is a heart attack?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Preventing sports injuries.
MedlinePlus.Heart attack.
MedlinePlus.Angina.
Heart Foundation.Angina.
MedlinePlus.Deep vein thrombosis.
Heil J, Miesbach W, Vogl T, Bechstein WO, Reinisch A.Deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremity.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):244-249. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0244
National Institute of Health.Heart attack treatment.
MedlinePlus.Sprains and strains.
OrthoInfo.Elbow dislocation.
MedlinePlus.Bruises.
OrthoInfo.Fractures (broken bones).
National Institute of Health.Osteoarthritis.
OrthoInfo.Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve).
MedlinePlus.Peripheral neuropathy.
Heart Foundation.What is a heart attack?
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Preventing sports injuries.
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